Customer Reviews

Astronomy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Such an underrated band, people will instantly think of "Dragonforce" when you hear the name, but the fact is these guys know how to write AMAZING Progressive Powermetal.....and people who like the genre should buy this now.....Its Heavy, Melodic, memorable....one of the best of 06

Unfortunately due to their name, they can be sometimes confused with the mainstream "Dragonforce", however their sound differs greatly in being that it is amazing (sorry, Dragonforce's first 2 albums were the only good ones).

Dragonland is fast paced Power Metal, yet still very Melodic/Symphonic, however you'd want to say it. Their music is more classifiable in the "Fantasy" subgenre which makes them very melodic in their chorus, vibrant in their solos, and ridiculous anecdotal in their lyrics. For Dragonland it works in their favor, the music along with the lyrics tell the story complementing each other whilst doing so. The vocals are absolutely incredible reminiscing of Tobias Sammett of "Avantasia," or Lance King of "Pyramaze", his vocals soar with the guitars and keyboards. There are also growling vocals on this album, but they are mostly harmonized with clean vocals, which sounds amazing, .ie: "Mercenary", "Wintersun."

Like any fantasy album, this includes orchestral compositions that tell the story of a traveler who ends up in dire danger, etc, etc...

Overall, this album/group is fantastic at what they compose, and it's one of my favorite genre's of Power Metal. Dragonland is for people who enjoy "Rhapsody of Fire", "Fairyland", "Luca Turilli's Dreamquest", and "Therion". Symphonic, Epic, Melodic, Atmospheric, all the ingredients needed to make an amazing Fantasy Power Metal album. Give this album a listen, then you'll ultimately purchase it...That was my fate, hahaha!!

Favorite Songs (No Order):
1. Contact
2. Astronomy
3. Antimatter
4. All Book of Shadows

I don't have a lot to say beyond what Switchblade Metalman and A. Byrnes have already said. This is an incredible album, one of my all-time favorites. Any fan of this genre should have this in their collection.

Im not much of a reviewer, but I can't believe nobody else has reviewed this album. This is an album power metal, and symphonic metal fans should know about!! By the name, some people may think these guys are a Dragonforce derivative band, not so!! These guys have roots in Swedish Melodic Death Metal of the mid 90's. With a desire for greater expression, than that genre would allow, they formed Dragonland, in I believe, 1999. A Power Metal based band with many, many influences, including; Power Metal, Thrash, Melodic Death, Symphonic, 80's melodic metal, 80's film theme music, and on. This is their fourth release, and in my opinion their best. It was actually put out in 2006. It amazes me that it took almost 4 years for something this brilliant to make it's way to Amazon! (Only in the metal starved U.S.)

This is a truly spectacular album, not a dud in the bunch, perfect from start to finish! The 2nd, and 3rd listens, are when it really came alive for me. So much to listen to. Creative heavy guitar riffage, soaring clean melodic vocals, virtuostic (yes, a new word!) solo guitar work, hammering double bass, varied musical interludes, with the background of symphonic grander. There are even a few guest death shrieks, and growls, which in this case are awesome.

From the majestic opener "Super Nova", to the Spanish stylings of "Cassiopia", to the thrashy "Contact", to the melodic title track "Astronomy" to the Gothenburgishness (yes, another new word) of "Antimatter" to the neoclassical "Beethoven's Nightmare", to the 80's "Too Late for Sorrow", to the melodic deathishness (yes, even another new word!) of "Perfect Direction", to the all out symphonic 4 song finally blowout, this is an album that simply can't get boring.

This is truly, a one of a kind epic not to be missed. If you like fresh modern power metal, symphonic metal, melodic metal, or love aspects of the Gothenburg sound, but with clean powerful melodic vocals, you must get this CD !!!!!! Gothenburg Power Metal, at it's best!!!!!

This is the second Dragonland album I got my hands on. The fisrt being Starfall. I thought there was absolutly no way they could possibly top that effort. This Astronomy album not only tops it, it completely crushes it, a straight 10 from beginning to end. I disagree with the previous review about the two supposed week songs. They are just as powerful as this entire album is amazing. This music truly is a one of kind, it's very special, and no one will be able to duplicate it again. These guys are the Bachs, The Bethovens, and The Mozarts of this genre of music. There are no words to describe it other than INCREDIBLE POWER METAL. I have nothing to even compare it to. You will not be dissapointed if you are lucky enough to find Starfall and Astronomy. These two albums represent the pinnacle of Dragonland.

Keep on rockin my friends

As the title says, please don't judge this band by their name (on this album at least). When I was first introduced to this band by a friend, I seriously thought he was joking when he told me the name. Dragonland? Seriously? That's so cheesy. I was expecting just your average Power Metal with rapid straight 16th note choruses and verses and such with wailing vocals about being a prince in Camelot and stuff. But this band is NOT LIKE THAT (on this album at least). Their first few albums, from what I've heard of them, are in that more stereotypical Power Metal vein that I previously described. This album though.... WOW! It's like they started taking themselves seriously as true musicians rather than just being geeky average Power Metal writers (nothing wrong with being geeky, but Power Metal is sometimes just SO overbearing in the cheese department). The best way to describe this album is MATURE. The songs are fabulously well-written, with little add-ins and kicks that make you think that they were actually trying to be somewhat PROGRESSIVE on this album.

The first song, Supernova, is probably my favorite. The orchestration, great additional female vocals, and fluid progression through the great construction of the song is just astounding. Most of the other songs are top-notch as well, but a couple are just ok. Those being Beethoven's Nightmare and Too Late for Sorrow. Beethoven's Nightmare is (fittingly) a fan-favorite from what I gather, but that's just because it's like their previous work. Very straightforward, very 16th note repetitive-y, very cheesy, very over-the-top-Power-Metal (like the kind I described earlier that I don't like). Certian parts of it are good, but it's definitely a weak point on the album. Too Late for Sorrow is sort of like Power Metal Gone Pop. If anyone out there reading this listens to Kamelot, this song is essentially a commercialized, poppy, and cheesy version of The Haunting. It's fairly catchy which is nice I guess, but it's a weak point. The songs that really should attract the more progressive ears though are The Book of Shadows Pt. 4 and The Old House on the Hill Pts. 1-3. They all feature fantastic musical composition with full orchestration to boot. While they can be boring if not paid attention to adequately (as with any progressive song), if you really listen and get into the moods, it's an amazing ride! They're not perfect songs by any means, but they are certainly very solid and show a whole new side of Dragonland.

Overall, I really like this album, and I would recommend it for any progressive/power metal listener (but die-hards of either genre might not fall in love with this album). I like a good share of both Prog and Power Metal (and other things as well), so this album really kicks it for me. If you find yourself loving a well-written song more than anything else, this album is for you. It has the technical side (for the Prog die-hards, ex. Dream Theater, Andromeda), it has the Power Metal side (ex. Pagan's Mind, Kamelot), and it has the songwriting side (ex. Opeth, Riverside (the short songs), and After Forever (the "new" album)). Honestly, the best way to sum up this album is that it's like the child of Pagan's Mind and Kamelot. I hope you guys at least give this album a listen on YouTube to see if it's for you. If it is, come back and buy it (that's the way to go). Good luck and enjoy!